Creating PDFs to Converting Data into Histograms and Fitting Curves

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hey all (again)!

how do people create pdf's? it seems like we start by collecting info and turning it into a histogram. then do we simply look at an array of curves, or is there something more, such as what is done of finding the least squares method for fitting data to a line?

thanks!
 
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Most of the time the data is assumed to fit some known distribution with a theoretical PDF and parameters. Then the parameters are estimated. If you are creating a PDF from scratch from the data, I would make a CDF first. The CDF is an integral of the PDF so it is smoother and less dependent on the choice of histogram partitions. Then a curve can be fit to the CDF and the PDF can be estimated.
 
Thanks!
 

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